By Dr. Jonathan Tyack from 19th January 2020
“Memories; winter wind; great loss; pure passion; love; victory.” With these words the softly-spoken Luka Okros introduced Rachmaninov’s Six Moments Musicaux Op.16, by way of a personal gloss on each movement. Each listener will have felt their own “great loss” during the third, but the loss of Anthony surely resonated particularly for Octagon Music Society. Head bowed during this movement, Okros focussed in on the music’s sweet dissonances and their bitter resolutions. Loss was inescapably prominent again in the ‘Funeral March’ from Chopin’s Sonata No.2 in B flat minor Op.35. Okros showed - perhaps unexpectedly - an interior quality to this music, again playing stooped low over the keys as if to draw his listeners closer to his relentlessly taut lines. Okros is not only a pianist who can draw an audience along on the arc of a beautiful line, but who can also inject drama through rupture. In the opening movement of the Chopin Sonata his left hand punctured the serenity of high pitched chords, as if with intrusive negative thoughts. In Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody No.2 he frequently brought out destabilizing accents and rhythms, thereby refreshing a well-known classic. Here was a pianist whose musical intensity was belied by his gentle demeanour. At the end of each piece he took his richly deserved applause in a businesslike manner, as if impatient to get on to the next. As an encore, Okros played an exquisite composition of his own; perhaps he might have called it “hope.” And it is with hope and impatience we look forward to the next Octagon concert, and to many more in the future. Luka's concert for this season will be streamed concert on 31st January 2021 - head to our concerts page for more information!
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Octagon Music Society is back and we have a real treat in store for you. We will be streaming a live concert by Emma Halnan (flute) and Heather Wrighton (harp) on Sunday 25th October at 4pm (our usual concert time). This will be free to watch on our YouTube channel and will remain available to view afterwards if you are busy on that day. Follow this link to our newly designed website to see the full programme and YouTube link - navigate to CONCERTS to find OCTAGON AT HOME. Even more exciting is that this concert is going to include a World Première - definitely not to be missed - let's stay connected. Very best wishes to you all Anthea We are delighted to announce that Octagon Music Society will be exclusively streaming a concert given by Emma Halnan (flute) and Heather Wrighton (harp). The concert will be FREE to watch on our YouTube channel. Emma is no stranger to Octagon, having previously performed for us at the Clarendon Muse. We are excited to hear her again, this time in collaboration with Heather, with whom she has performed extensively.
As a consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic, Octagon Music Society will not run a full concert season in 2020-2021. We will continue to review Government guidance and to assess the viability of putting on concerts. Our hope is to be able to offer some individual concerts before launching a full 2021-2022 season in the spring of 2021. We will announce any further updates on our website, social media and in our email newsletter.
We thank all our patrons for your continued support during this time and greatly look forward to welcoming you back when we are able. Keep in touch! Follow us on Instagram, Twitter & Facebook @OMSwatford across all channels. Find our latest news on our website and subscribe to our mailing list. From our August mailing:
'Dear friends of OMS, It's been a bit too hot over the last few days to be very active but thankfully committee member Brian O'Riordan has been busy doing some research and produced a wonderful article about RVW for you to read. Your committee continues to meet via zoom - we'll let you know just as soon as we have any positive news for you. My vegetable patch is thriving and keeping me (and some friends) well fed and .......... yesterday I spent a super day at the Historic Dockyard in Chatham! Not at all crowded and FREE if you have a National Art Pass. Brian has sent me his article as a pdf file with lots of wonderful photographs but unfortunately Mailchimp doesn't allow one to embed a pdf file, so ... if you would like to read it just send a brief e-mail mail to me at [email protected] and I will forward the article to you. Here is a taster of the opening paragraph ............ Ralph Vaughan Williams (RVW) arrived in Watford toward the end of March 1915 and was billeted at 76 Cassio Road where he lived until late May. He had joined the War effort and he and his colleagues were undergoing training before departing for France. Photo: Vaughan Williams’ billet in Watford: 76 Cassio Road. It is the white house on the left. The houses are at the junction of Whippendell Road and Cassio Road. Vaughan Williams was 42 at the time and had joined up as a private at Duke of York’s HQ near his home in Cheyne Walk, Chelsea. He was already an established composer having published major works such as the Sea Symphony and The London Symphony, the opera Hugh the Drover, Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis and The Lark Ascending as well as compiling the English Hymnal and numerous Folk Songs..................' Review by Dr Jonathan Tyack “Memories; winter wind; great loss; pure passion; love; victory.” With these words the softly-spoken Luka Okros introduced Rachmaninov’s Six Moments Musicaux Op.16, by way of a personal gloss on each movement. Each listener will have felt their own “great loss” during the third, but the loss of Anthony surely resonated particularly for Octagon Music Society. Head bowed during this movement, Okros focussed in on the music’s sweet dissonances and their bitter resolutions.
Loss was inescapably prominent again in the ‘Funeral March’ from Chopin’s Sonata No.2 in B flat minor Op.35. Okros showed - perhaps unexpectedly - an interior quality to this music, again playing stooped low over the keys as if to draw his listeners closer to his relentlessly taut lines. Okros is not only a pianist who can draw an audience along on the arc of a beautiful line, but who can also inject drama through rupture. In the opening movement of the Chopin Sonata his left hand punctured the serenity of high pitched chords, as if with intrusive negative thoughts. In Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody No.2 he frequently brought out destabilizing accents and rhythms, thereby refreshing a well-known classic. Here was a pianist whose musical intensity was belied by his gentle demeanour. At the end of each piece he took his richly deserved applause in a businesslike manner, as if impatient to get on to the next. As an encore, Okros played an exquisite composition of his own; perhaps he might have called it “hope.” And it is with hope and impatience we look forward to the next Octagon concert, and to many more in the future. Luka's concert for this season will be streamed concert on 31st January 2021 - head to our concerts page for more information! |